What is gender-inclusive or gender-neutral language?

“Gender-inclusive” or “gender-neutral” language is currently one of the hot topics of linguistics. Both terms describe language that talks about people without imparting a bias towards any specific sex or gender. It aims to be as comprehensive as possible, hoping to also include more flexible gender identities.

Why is this a hot topic?

Due to the growing awareness of more fluid gender identities in the last few years, many people have started to pay greater attention to gendered language as well. Despite English having the advantage of many neutral nouns (such as “teacher”), it is by no means truly neutral.

Many of the gendered terms we use grew from historical roots that do not reflect our reality anymore. A short example: where women used to be banned from specific professions (or from working altogether), terms such as “fireman” developed. But nowadays, women can and do become firefighters, so “firemen” does not describe these professionals anymore—at least not comprehensively.

Why are we talking about gender-inclusive language in this blog?

As mentioned before, gender-neutral or gender-inclusive language is a hot topic in many countries. Why? Because many languages are, by their nature, gendered.

There are many arguments both for and against using gender-inclusive language, of which I am listing a few below. While I think that this is something important to keep in mind in order to not alienate part of the population from your texts, it is in the end of course still up to you to decide which style you use. This post might, however, give you a decision aid if you are still on the fence about it.

(Short side note: this blog is mostly about gender-neutral language in writing and less so in speech, even though many of the arguments below apply to both.)

Are there any differences between the two terms used above?

No, both “gender-neutral” and “gender-inclusive” are used interchangeably. They describe the same concept, but to remain consistent, I will be using the term “gender-inclusive” from now on.

Why should you use gender-inclusive language?

There are many arguments for gender-inclusive language—I have already hinted at one earlier in this post. Here is a (by no means comprehensive) list of arguments that support its use:

• The language we use should mirror our reality. And about half of that reality is female. (At least biologically.)
• Gender-inclusive language makes women visible. It gives them the representation they deserve.
• The language we use influences reality (and our perception of it). There is, for example, a study that found that gender-inclusive language can reduce gender-related stereotypes.
• As mentioned above, history and its traditionally patriarchal structures had a large influence on our language; it is by no means a neutral system.
• Gender-inclusive language recognises more fluid gender identities.
• Language changes all the time anyway, whether we want it to or not.
• Some languages use what is called a “generic masculine”, where the masculine form is supposed to represent all sexes and gender identities. A study showed that this evokes predominantly images of men and somewhat excludes women.
• It has been shown that the increased use of feminine forms in language can promote equality and tolerance.
• Our language has a large influence on how children perceive certain professions as well as on the ratio of male to female applicants for job openings.
• Gender-inclusive language is by no means dogmatic; it can be used flexibly where necessary or helpful.
• Gender-inclusive language leads to more specific texts as it does not automatically alienate part of the population.

Are there any arguments against it?

Yes, absolutely! Gender-neutral language is being discussed quite controversially across languages and many critics cite some of the following arguments:

• Language has only a very limited influence on reality. It might support equality, but won’t lead to radical changes such as equal pay, equally shared mental load, etc.
• Gender- inclusive language is often unpopular. Almost two thirds of Germans, for example, are against it. (Survey link unfortunately only available in German.)
• Gender-inclusive language draws unwanted attention to gender in texts and therefore makes it impossible to ignore it. This is especially true for more gendered languages that need special forms, such as German or Spanish.
• This controversial discussion does not reflect the reality of most people.
• Gender-neutral language is just a political agenda.
• It draws attention away from other “problematic” minorities or identities, such as certain ethnical backgrounds.
• Gendered language has grown from language tradition. We should not interfere actively.
• Gender-inclusive language, especially in heavily gendered languages, has a large impact on how aesthetically pleasing a text is.
• Gender-inclusive language can impede the immersion in a text and hinder its flow, especially in heavily gendered languages. It might also increase the length of a text unnecessarily.
• Gender-inclusive language can lead to accessibility problems as not all forms are compatible with all screen readers. It also adds difficulties for language learners.
• There is a difference between biological sex / gender identity and grammatical gender. The grammatical gender does not necessarily reflect the actual sex or gender identity.
• Sometimes gender is important. In those cases, it should be made visible.

Does Cosmic Lingua use gender-inclusive language?

Cosmic Lingua follows a rather pragmatic approach for this topic. The use of gender-inclusive language is promoted where possible, as it is also part of the internal style guide (which you will soon be able to have a look at here). But sometimes, it is not practicable or clients prefer not to use it—in those cases, we adapt.

How do you incorporate gender-inclusive language in your writing?

As this is an extensive topic to cover, I will look into it in greater detail next month. Since I publish this blog in two languages (English and German), and both languages have very different guidelines, I will be starting with a practical guide for English in March and follow up with German guidelines in April. So please don’t be disappointed if there is no English-language post in April.